And I didn't even begin to mention those things. Frankly, (and I don't say this to disparage Appalachia, I love her to dead) I really don't think a shitload would change in this universe, and the living standards wouldn't drop very much, if at all. It would become more insular, and it would get hungrier, but after the first spring after the crops are planted, there would be pretty abundant food. Deer would likely explode, as there would be a lot less people to hunt them, which means more per-capita. Plus, due to the mountains, zombies wouldn't be able to move in very fast, if at all.